MOBILE, Ala. – A record number of Mobile County Public Schools students are being recognized as AP Scholars. The number this year is 226, an 8 percent increase over last year’s 209 AP Scholars.

To be named an AP Scholar, a student must earn a score of 3 or higher on at least three Advanced Placement exams. The College Board’s AP program allows academically prepared students to take rigorous college-level courses, and they can receive credit from most colleges and universities if they earn a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam, which are graded on 5-point scale.

Of the 226 AP Scholars, 38 were also named AP Scholars with Honor for earning a score of 3 or higher on at least four AP exams; and 66 were also named AP Scholars with Distinction for earning a 3 or higher on at least five AP exams.

In an effort to prepare students to be college and career ready, MCPSS offers dozens of Advanced Placement courses, and covers the cost for the AP exams. Baker High School, which is the only southwest Alabama school offering the prestigious AP Capstone Program, led the system with 136 AP Scholars, up from 118 in 2023. Davidson High had the second-highest, at 78. Bryant, Citronelle, Mary G. Montgomery and Murphy high schools also had AP Scholars.

MCPSS offers other paths to earn college credit, including International Baccalaureate and dual enrollment courses with the University of Alabama, the University of South Alabama, Bishop State Community College and Coastal Alabama Community College.

IB students were also very successful at earning college credit. At Murphy, 38 seniors took IB exams and earned 1,239 hours of college credit. And Davidson’s 13 IB Diploma Candidates had a 100 percent passage rate on all of the IB exams, thus earning college credit.

District-wide, MCPSS students also earned college credit by enrolling in 2,000 dual enrollment courses last year.